1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to flying discs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hand thrown flying toys, and in particular flying discs, continue to be some of the most popular recreational toys. Specialty discs having different flight characteristics, weights, and materials are now being developed for particular segments of the disc market. For example, specialty discs are now being designed and marketed for Ultimate FRISBEE®, disc golf, recreational catching, distance throwing, and canine disc sports.
As set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,624 to Dunipace, disc designs are commonly evaluated based upon multiple criteria including: (1) throwability—how easily the disc is gripped and released, (2) flight characteristics—flight path, ballistics, freedom from roll, resistance to flight path deflection by wind, etc., and (3) durability. Many disc designs attain commercially acceptable throwability, flight characteristics, and durability for their intended use through the use of high density, semi-rigid materials (e.g., plastics) and low profiles. A combination of these features yields discs of acceptable durability that tend to fly far and fast and are at least somewhat resistant to flight path deflection by wind.
The present inventors recognize, however, that a high velocity, low-profile flying disc formed of high density, semi-rigid plastic can be painful and/or difficult to catch for both humans and canines. That is, a human user may find that a conventional flying disc flies to fast and too far to catch easily, and that when caught, impacts the hand with a painful sting. In addition, a dog catching a conventional flying disc formed of semi-rigid plastic (e.g., polyethylene or polypropylene) can sustain significant impact on its teeth and gums, resulting in bleeding gums and loosened teeth. Moreover, even after short periods of use, the dog's teeth may puncture or mar the disc surface, resulting in sharp burs that may further injure the mouth of a canine catcher. The flying disc may also travel too far or too fast for a dog to be able to successfully catch an acceptably high percentage of throws. The pain, injury and frustration attendant to the use of conventional semi-rigid flying discs can thus discourage their use, diminishing their recreational utility.
Despite such drawbacks to the use of high density semi-rigid materials for flying discs, particularly for discs intended for use by novice users and canines, flying discs formed of semi-rigid materials continue to dominate the market because flying discs formed of more flexible materials have heretofore exhibited unacceptable flight characteristics and/or durability.